Broken Pipeline Brings Request to Cut Water Use

An 84-inch water pipeline that feeds several reservoirs broke Friday in Scripps Ranch, forcing the County Water Authority to ask hundreds of thousands of East County residents to curtail water use over the weekend.

The reservoirs fed by the pipeline had about three days of storage capacity when the break occurred, and spigots are not expected to go dry, said County Water Authority spokesman Greg Starmack. However, a statement put out by the agency said the break could take from three to seven days to repair.

Despite their optimism about the availability of water, officials asked local water agencies that buy water from the pipeline “to take necessary emergency water conservation measures.”

The County Water Authority also warned residents in several communities against “outdoor and non-essential water usage” over the weekend. The communities asked to ration water are La Mesa, El Cajon, Lakeside, Santee, Spring Valley, Lemon Grove and Otay Mesa.

“It’s imperative that they do this,” Starmack said.

Starmack said the broken pipe, which carries treated water purchased from the Metropolitan Water District, normally feeds about 10 reservoirs located south of the Mira Mar area. The water is pumped from Lake Skinner in the Temecula area.

Workers were waiting for the pipe to drain Friday afternoon before beginning to excavate. The cause of the break of the cement pipe, constructed in the mid-1970s, was unknown, Starmack said.

Starmack said the break occurred at 2 p.m. near Waldgrove Place and Ironwood Road. However, Irma Warner, who lives on Ironwood Road, said she reported the break around noon and added that a neighbor had reported it 45 minutes earlier.

“Water was running down a drainage ditch and I knew that wasn’t normal. I also saw gushing water coming out of the utility easement. I called the city water department and they were puzzled because they didn’t know where the water was coming from. They decided it was the county’s responsibility. Ultimately it was the county that came to turn it off,” Warner said.

She added that water flowed into back yards and muddied some swimming pools but damage appeared to be minor.